People often ask: so what’s your story? Well, contract furniture has been in my DNA for as long as I can remember. As a child, I watched my father, David, build his office furniture business from the ground up and I quickly developed a deep connection to the industry. After graduating from university with an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration, I started my career in contract furniture and was propelled down the path that led me to where I am today. Along the way, I have developed the strong belief that leaders start not with “where” but with “who.” I absolutely love my job. I find it challenging, yet wonderful because to me it is all about people. Collaborating with people. Learning from people. Giving your best to people, and partnering to do more together than one could ever do alone.

One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned comes from the inspiring female role model, founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association, Carrie Green: “success is not an accident, it’s something we have to create on purpose and every single one of us can do this. So show up for your dreams, discover what you’re capable of and turn your ideas into a successful reality.”

In 2019, I officially assumed the role of Executive Director at OFGO STUDIO. Alongside my amazing team, we relaunched the brand with a powerful new vision: Premium For All. Our mission is to create products of the highest quality that provide a complete solution to our consumer, because we believe everyone deserves the best. We see an opportunity to take a vision and turn it into a living workspace. An opportunity to ask ourselves, “how can we add value and redefine the ways we work and learn?” We deliver ‘Premium for All’ through offering unique and superior construction methodologies that surpass other contract offerings.

Someone once told me “people won’t remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel,”. This one small tidbit of career advice has had a huge impact on both my career and the direction of the OFGO STUDIO brand. Be Authentic. Own your identity and be proud of it. In owning our identity as an organization, I keep our customer focus as the key building block of our strategy. We operate in a manner that gives us the capability to accomplish projects of various sizes and scopes, while still remaining nimble and flexible. This flexibility is what sets us apart from our competition. 

Working with my team to stretch our creative muscles is one of the most rewarding parts of my everyday activities. Fostering a collaborative environment and feeling inspired at work is an important part of the heart of our organization.  It’s amazing how a table of tiny 3D printed parts can turn to air high-fiving with big smiles on our faces. Since 2019, I have had the privilege of leading the charge towards furthering our new brand vision and together we have successfully launched almost two dozen new product offerings.

Fast forward to today’s date; we’ve experienced tremendous growth over the past two years and have started to do business with many new partners and dealers. We have our sights set on continuing our growth trajectory as we surpass 45 years in business next year. Being a mother has taught me that we are resilient, strong, adaptable, and capable of anything we set our minds too. We might be juggling a million and one different things but the sky is the limit, and there is no ceiling to what you can accomplish. We have a lot of exciting things planned in the near future and I would like to invite you to continue to be part of our journey to deliver Premium For All.

Nicole Shamir, Executive Director